New project: Searching for missing ice in Siberia’s glacial past

A new research project at iC3 aims to uncover a long-standing mystery in Earth’s ice age history - was there a vast, “missing” ice sheet in Siberia during the last glacial period? 

Led by MSCA postdoctoral fellow Benjamin Boyes, the project “SIBERICE” will use high-resolution satellite data and innovative dating techniques to reconstruct Siberia’s ice sheet history. This research could help close the gap in global sea level budgets and improve our understanding of past and future sea level change. This research will also help close expanding knowledge gaps in Siberian palaeo-glaciology.

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Hunting for past ice sheets 

The ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica contain enough frozen water to raise global sea levels by around 65 metres if fully melted. But past ice sheets also played a crucial role in shaping today’s climate.  

Scientists studying the last glacial period, which ended about 10,000 years ago, have discovered something puzzling - a significant amount of ice appears to be unaccounted for in reconstructions of past global sea levels. 

One possible explanation is that a large ice sheet covered parts of Siberia, contributing to sea level rise as it melted. However, evidence for such an ice mass remains incomplete. Siberia’s remote and inaccessible landscape, combined with a lack of detailed studies, has left this question open for decades. 

“SIBERICE will systematically search for signs of a lost Siberian ice sheet using the latest remote sensing technology,” says Benjamin. “If it existed, its meltwater would have contributed significantly to global sea level rise at the end of the last glacial period.” 

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A new approach to ice sheet reconstruction 

To address the expanding knowledge gaps in Siberian palaeo-glaciology, Benjamin will create the first Siberia-wide database of glacial landforms - features left behind by ancient glaciers - including Russian-language sources that are often overlooked in international research. 

A key innovation of SIBERICE is a novel dating method using moraine degradation. Moraines - ridges of debris left behind by glaciers - erode over time. By measuring their shape and comparing them with dated examples from other Arctic regions, Benjamin aims to estimate their age remotely. This approach could provide a much-needed timeline of glacial activity in Siberia, even without direct field access. 

The project will then use these reconstructions to estimate how much ice existed in Siberia and how its melting may have influenced global sea levels. 

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Why this matters 

Understanding past ice sheets is crucial for improving models of future sea level change. 

Ice sheets influence global temperatures, ocean currents, and sea levels. If a large Siberian ice sheet did exist, it could change our understanding of how Earth’s ice cover has evolved - and how it might respond to future warming. 

“Our current sea level projections are uncertain, partly because we don’t fully understand past changes,” Benjamin explains. “If we can account for this missing ice, we can improve predictions of how today’s ice sheets might behave in a warming world.” 

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Joining the iC3 team 

Benjamin Boyes is an expert in palaeo-glaciology, with extensive experience in reconstructing past ice sheets using remote sensing and GIS techniques. At iC3, he will be supervised by Monica Winsborrow and Henry Patton, both leading researchers in ice sheet dynamics and climate change. 

Benjamin won an MSCA postdoctoral fellowship with the iC3 Polar Research Hub and will be based in Tromsø, Norway, for two years. 

If you’re interested in joining iC3 as a postdoc, get in touch—we have several MSCA postdoctoral fellowship opportunities available. We provide strong support to candidates to help them write winning MSCA proposals.